I had a dental implant done by a dentist that I’ve seen for years. I didn’t think to ask him about his history of placing dental implants and now I wish I had. First, he couldn’t get me numb in the procedure to removed the tooth and my mouth has been burning ever since. At every appointment thoughout I mentioned my mouth was burning. He told me I had thrush and gave me a prescription that never worked. When it came time to place the dental implant crown he had a very hard time getting the crown on the screw. He had to apply so much pressure that I actually cried. He even tried to give me Novocain, but again it didn’t work. A couple of months later, I was staying in a different state for the winter. The implant crown fell off. I went to see my dentist there and he told me that the implant was infected and needed to come out. He did the surgery, which required sliting all the way down. When I returned to my home state I had a dental bridge placed by another dentist. He said it should not hurt to put on a dental crown. I’d like my dentist to refund my failed implant as well as the surgery needed to remove it, but can’t get an attorney to help me. What do I do?
Amanda
Dear Amanda,
You are in a tough spot. There are many dental implant horror stories because a patient went to an inexperienced or inadequately trained implant dentist. This is one of those advanced procedures that requires significant post-doctoral training. Unfortunately, not enough dentists invest in that training.
Dental malpractice suits are tough because they are hard to prove and don’t generate enough money for the attorneys. You could go to civil court, which won’t require an attorney, but you would need a dentist to testify that the dental implant failed because of something your dentist did. What worries me about that is you didn’t mention if the dental implant was loose when the other dentist told you the implant was infected. An infected implant will be loose, so if that wasn’t the case, I’m wondering about this second dentist’s diagnostic skills. There are many reasons for a failed implant and sometimes they can fail even if the dentist did not do anything wrong.
I’m leaning toward the dental crown falling off because the dentist applied too much pressure when he was placing it which could damage the bond between the implant and the surrounding bone, leading to later implant failure.
My guess is, from how you described this situation, is that your dentist was at fault. It becomes a matter of what you can prove. I would start by asking your dentist for the refund that you want and tell him what the other dentist said. If he refuses, what I think you can get in court is what you are able to prove. In this case, that is the misdiagnosis on the thrush and the failed dental crown.
Why You Had Trouble Getting Numb
The inability to get numb and the burning mouth syndrome are both indicators of a high level of dental anxiety. For your comfort and peace of mind, I am going to suggest you switch to a sedation dentist to do any further dental work. Dental sedation relaxes you which enables the numbing medication to do its job, instead of burning off before it can be useful. This will enable you to have pain free dental appointments.
This blog is brought to you by Libertyville Dentist Dr. David Potts.